Dance within a dance

Our place also saw the dance of democracy on 30 4 09;

Our office was on yesterday; only permission for 2 hrs either in the morning or evening

I took evening permission;

Started late at 4 15 and reached polling booth at 4 45 pm

With luck could locate my name in the voter’s list and reached the room where I was supposed to vote

All were being asked ID proof

I showed my office ID card which the PRO rejected stating that the GO is very clear on the proof—it could be driving license, passport, ration card etc

I said I didn’t have any of the above at that time and said I have copies of my electricity bill and phone bill

All except the PRO supported me

I argued that by seeing the face you can assess the genuineness of a person

I was furious and shouted that genuine person would be denied and the fakes would be allowed

The police ( 2 men ) guarding the room laughed

First time in my life I saw police person laughing

Even though they did not tell that even terrorists are more handsome than me I could tell myself

Then went to another senior PRO and asked him; he asked the location of my house

I said the time was 4 55 PM ; another 5 mts polling would be over;

He directed me to the senior most officer who was about to leave

I showed my company ID and my visiting card

He took me to the room and advised my villain PRO to allow me

All were happy to see me back

They said it was a well-fought genuine case

I said they were all right and I was also right

The polling officer said it was just 5 PM and I was the last person to vote

I voted happily with a sense of fulfilment

I thanked the other PRO who was instrumental in my successful voting

The police guarding the room also laughed happily again

it was as if the candidate contesting from our constituency had been elected

a great feeling and experience

i remember the words from Anbe Sivam Tamil movie " Life has in itself lots of surprises and turns"

Dr Venkata Meenalochani-an open Letter

She is the descendant of Shri Annamacharya, a carnatic music veteran

There was a talk show with her in a popular Tamil channel

She is doing a wonderful job of explaining the meaning of Shri Annamacharya’s kritis and spreading his message

The advantage is that Telugu is her mother tongue in which language Annamacharya has written his songs

She has a good knowledge of carnatic music and Tamil language also

One point that is noticeable is that Raagam and Thaalam are not the only things that are essential for scintillating music but Bhaavam (literally it means, the expression on the face of the singer) which comes into force only when the person singing knows the meaning

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Doctor, everything is fine but we could not digest the way you attacked Saint Thyagaraja indirectly.

Leave alone attack; you never made any passing reference either to Annamacharya’s contemporaries or predecessors or followers

Is it that you the great, great grand child of Annamacharya?

Is music such a narrow thing Doctor?

We have never heard of any war between the two great giants of music
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Let us come to Doctor Meenalochani’s comment that Annamacharya never pleaded with God listing his bodily ailments and his shortcoming but always sang the greatness of Shri Balaji of Tirupati.
Doctor, that is one way of reaching the Almighty.

Saint Thyagaraja’s name is popular not because of any other reason but he put his soul into music and if at all there is carnatic music it will not be an exaggeration if we claim it is because of Thyagaiya
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Doctor, since you have immense knowledge, going above narrow barriers of blood relations will elevate you and also we will get more pearls out of your wisdom
You will agree with us that both Annamacharya and Thiagaiya are revered as the two eyes of music.

Anjukku Rendu Pazhudillai--Old Tamil Maxim

This is the normal maxim used by many in Tamilnadu

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The outward meaning is:

Two out of five are not bad

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Illiterates like me understand like this:

" if 2 out of 5 that is 40 % is okay everything is okay "


But this morning I was listening to a discourse

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The actual intended meaning will follow after a small explanation
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Namah Sivaya

or

Namah Sivaya

This is a Sanskrit word and has 5 letters in the original script

The origin of Namasivaya and the Sanskrit alphabets according to Tirumular. (verse 891)

Ajapa Mantra----> Soham----> A and U (« ¯) -----> Si Va -----> Si Va Ya Na Ma -----> 5 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.

The Panchakshara Mantra (5-letter mantra) has two aspects:

Subtle and Manifest (Suksma and Sthula).

Suksma Mantra is Sivayanama. The manifest Mantra is NaMaSivaYa. As you may notice the head of the Subtle Mantra is Siva and the tail is Nama. In the Sthula Mantra the head and the tail are inverted or transposed. Significance: Manifest man--embodied soul (Ya) has the head in Nama meaning he suffers from Na (obscuration of spiritual knowledge) and Ma (a load of Mummalams-ÓõÁÄõ: Anava, Kanma and Maya Malas). The liberated man Ya (Jivan Mukta) enjoys Si and Va (Siva and Grace; his NaMa left him.

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It is sufficient if we chant “ Si va “ only if we can not chant all the 5 letters


God bless you reader….Namah Sivaya

just try " Sivaya Namah and see the results yourself

They also serve who only stand and wait

I remember my father referring to the following poem of John Milton very often

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On His Blindness

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait."

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The last line is the focus

In the dance sequences of cinemas whenever I see group dance, immediately I remember my father, John Milton and the last line

Sometimes the extras are more beautiful than the protagonists with better dance steps/movements; but they cannot find a name in the title, even after-climax scrolling titles when the audience would be leaving without bothering to see the screen

Those extras even can not tell their near and dear that they have acted in so and so film; it may evoke pain rather than pleasure
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is it not the case with many of us?

ha ha ha

God sees the truth but waits

dont worry

Kalki Avatar found in Sri Lanka

After Hitler, Saddam and George Bush now Kalki has reincarnated as Mahendra Rajapakse.
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Yesterday being Pradosh day I had darshan of Lord Siva

Then many thoughts crossed my mind including the news of Sri Lankan security forces chasing children and women and killing them like dogs, tearing their ears, raping women etc;

Is it not true that, God is everywhere?

Is it not true that, God is merciful?
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In the Kurushetra war actual enemies were the brothers, Kauravas and Pandavas, but many soldiers also got killed for none of their mistakes similar to the killings of US forces in Iraq and IPKF soldiers in Sri Lanka during Rajiv time

We have to level our mind with the following story:

It is told that the mother earth got over-burdened with lots of population; she being close to Vishnu asked Him for help.

So Krishna was born and became the crusader for the killing of the undesirable brutes and the innocents as well

Areh Krishna! You do not want to quake the Earth? It would be a less painful affair allowing humans die with some dignity!

Oh! It’s your wife; you would not like to disturb.

Krishna! I am presenting a story from your previous avatar

Rama was wandering in the forest

He heard a feeble sound

He finally located the sound from under His foot

He lifted His foot

There was a frog

Rama said “ You poor creature! You could have called me when I started trampling you”

Frog replied “; My Lord! Whenever somebody hurt me, I always call Rama, my saviour; but when Rama Himself is the reason for my hurt whom shall I call? “
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“ Leave it Krishna! Laws change for every Yuga “

Serving with ease

Slogam
mahambodhitheerae mahapaapachorae, muneendraanukoolae sugandhakhya shaile
guhayam vasantham svabhasa lasantham, janaarthim harantham shrayaamo guham tham

Meaning
On the shores of the great ocean which steals away the sins of the devotees, stands the Sugandha hills, the most favourable site for the sages to perform their penance! Thou resides there to destroy the worries of the devotees! O self-luminous Lord who is present in the cave of the heart! I adore Thee!
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Beauty:

The above is from Subramanya Bhujangam by Adi Sankara( para 7) ; onething I liked is the confidence this slogan is able to create

Lord is on the shore; devotee is also on the shore; the Ocean steals the sin of the devotee who is at the feet of the Lord;

I liken the above process to the following day today affair

When a child is in the hands of elders and the child defecates, mother standing next will immediately clean even before the person holding the child comes to know what is happening; here the ocean, is the house of mother Mahalakshmi with all Her wealth.

Touch Me Not--A Love Story

While coming back from office eyes fell on the T shirt of a boy “ All Love Vanish “;

Even though it is not as attractive as the provocative captions like “ Touch Me Not”, “ For Your Eyes Only “, “ High Tide “ worn by grown up girls, this phrase evoked some feeling in me

There cannot be a love better than mother’s love
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I know a mother of 3 boys and 4 girls;

Her husband is no more

She is not well now; heart enlargement; more than 80 years old

She was with the youngest son

After getting sick went to the eldest son

After 2-3 hospitalizations the son told openly that she should die

The next son said he was unlucky as their father expired after visiting him

………………………………………………………………………………..

Foot Note:

1) That mother used to fight with anybody whoever blamed her sons
2) In India sons are most sought after species as they are supposed to lit the final pyre

Females--to be or not to be

The following news appeared in the newspapers today

Shika Sharma quits ICICI; speculation is that she is joining AXIS bank as MD; Pangal Jayendra Nayak,Chairman and CEO of AXIS quits 3 months ahead of his term



Ladies are intelligent and are not lesser than any male on earth

When I read this I remember an episode from Ramayana

Hanuman meets Janaki; he offers to lift her and fly off

For this Sita replies “ Do you think I can not destroy this Lanka by my mere looks? The reason for my not doing is that I expect Rama to rescue me; otherwise he will be under rated
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Now read this introduction from the article “An Educator's Guide to Gender Bias Issues “
Technologies should be equally accessible to male and female students. Yet, as girls enter adolescence, large numbers of them tend to lose interest in science, math, and computer science. Girls are narrowing the gender gap in science and math, but not in technology (Closing the Gender Gap: Gender Gaps Fact Sheet, 1997). Overall girls' test scores and course enrollments have risen in these areas, with the exception of computer science. In order to attempt to address this issue, the cause of the discrepancies between males and females in computer use must be established. Several issues need to be addressed:
What is gender bias?
What evidence is there that a technology gender gap and gender bias exist?
Why are girls in their adolescent years losing interest in computers?
What are the differences and similarities between how males and females perceive and use technology?
What technologies are out there? For whom are they intended?
What role do parents, educators, and manufacturers have in encouraging technology use among females?
By addressing these questions, a better understanding of the gender gap in technology can be attained and solutions to closing the gender gap can be studied. While progress has been made to encourage girls in math and science, parents, teachers, and manufacturers have just begun to look at girls' use of computers and computer related programs.
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Going by the newspaper, who is greater?

When the male cats close their eyes, will the world become darker?

Dear males…please give way to females; females will do it better

Hands of Destiny

read a story of great writer Sujatha, a Tamil writer

story:

a girl meets a boy in the bus stop; says hello; loves ; fights; separates; suffers pain

meets God

God grants her a wish that she can get onething with which she can achieve the greatest desire of her life

the girl asks that she should forget the aciduous past; she forgets

again she comes to the same bus stop; meets the same boy; says hello....................


is it fate?...

Bhavati Bhiksham Dehi-Mother, Give me Alms

20 4 2009 Monday



after pravachan on " Om Mantraya Namah " today i went to a sacred thread wearing ceremony of a Brahmin boy;

as per the custom there was a ritual: the boy started asking " Bhavati Bhiksham Dehi " and spread his upper apron to receive the alms; many mothers filled it with rice and cereals

i love that " bhavathi Bhiksham Dehi"

while coming from office i was thinking about various episodes related to that; after bath and prayers i was just watching TV; in one of the serials there was a reference to " Kanagadhara Stotram"

the story is: Adi Sankara went from house to house asking for alms; at one house there was a brahmin lady; sankara said " Bhavati Bhiksham dehi"; she was very poor and had nothing to offer; she cried and searched the entire house to find something to offer Sankara; she was lucky to find a rotten amla( gooseberry) and offered that to Sankara; Sankara was moved to tears and prayed Mahalakshmi ( Kanagadhara Stotram); Devi appeared and after an argument about the " karma " of the woman showered gold.

Om Manththraaya Namah

this morning i was listening to a discourse;


the topic was about the speciality of the above mantra appearing in " Vishnu Sahasranamam"

the thing that struck me was what they showed in a temple ( Tamilnadu)

in that, inside the sanctum sanctorium where there is no air hole the oil lamp was oscillating;

they showed "Shri Lakshmi Narasimha "

you will not believe; even while writing now i have the awe surrounding me;

let us see something about that mantra

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mantraah



The mystic word (He who protects those who meditate onHis name).



Om manththraaya namah.



" tan-mantaram trayate iti mantarah"

or

" mananat trayate iti mantrah "



mantra is that which protects him who meditates on it.


In Brahmapurana, Bhagavan says -


" thrshna toya samakIrnat ghorat samsara sagarat

aparat paramapnoti yo mam smarati nityasah "



"He who thinks of me always, will certainly cross this vast andfrightful sea of samsara which is filled with the waters of greed andavarice".



SrI Bhattar also gives the reference to the varaha carama Sloka fromvaraha purana


" sthithe manasi susvsthe sarire sati yo narah
dhatu-samye sthithe smarta visva-rupam camamaajam
tatastam mriyamanam tukashtha pashana sannibham
aham smarAmi mad-bhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim "


"The man who, when his mind is in normal condition, when thebody is not shattered, and when the elementary constituents of his body(dhatus) are in perfect equipoise, meditates on Me who has thew worldas My body and who am not subject o biths due to karma - when that manlies like a log of wood or a piece of stone in his dying moments, I think of this devotee of Mine and lead to attain the Supreme Abode".

Sri Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the Sacred formula inthe form of the three vedas. The writer in dharma chakram gives the perspective on the importance ofmantras in our scheme of life. Just as we take external bath forkeeping our bodies clean, mantras are the means to keep our mindsclean. This can be done

1) through constant repetition of themantras (japam),

2) through deep and constant contemplation (meditation),

3) through musical singing (bhajan) etc.



Thirumangai Azhvar says

" nalamtarum Sollai naan kaanu kondaen naaraayanaa ennum naamam (peria tirumozhi1-1-9).
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Tortoise and Siva

there is a slogam in second Thirumurai by Gnasambander
204. Kadambhur-slogam 732

Aravinodu Aamaiyum poondu amthughil vaenghai adhalum
Viravum thirumudi thanmael venn thinghal soodi virumbhip
Paravum thanik kadambhuril paing ghann vellaettrannall paadham
Iravum Paghalum paniya inbham namak kadhuvaamae

Meaning goes like this: Lord Siva has tortoise also along with snake as ornament;

when i analysed there was no direct reference to Siva associated with Tortoise;
one thing that fasicinated me was that tortoise never hatches its eggs;
Female tortoises dig nesting burrows in which they lay from one to thirty eggs.Egg laying typically occurs at night, after which the mother tortoise covers her clutch with sand, soil, and organic material. The eggs are left unattended, and depending on the species, take from 60 to 120 days to incubate.The size of the egg depends on the size of the mother and can be estimated by examining the width of the cloacal opening between the carapice and plastron. The plastron of a female tortoise often has a noticeable V-shaped notch below the tail to facilitate passing the eggs. Upon completion of the incubation period, a fully-formed hatchling uses an egg tooth to break out of its shell. It digs to the surface of the nest and begins a life of survival on its own. Hatchlings are born with an embryonic egg sac which serves as a source of nutrition for the first 3 to 7 days until they have the strength and mobility to find food. Juvenile tortoises often require a different balance of nutrients than adults, and therefore may eat foods which a more mature tortoise would not. For example, it is common that the young of a strictly herbivorous species will consume worms or insect larvae for additional protein.

given the above conditions survival of tortoise is just a miracle.
so the master miracle-maker might have thought to take the rare thing-favourite as his ornament.

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Lalitha Sahasranamam

Dear all

pl write about the greatness of Mother Lalitha;
i am doing a project; will help